Real personal finance

Instant approval credit cards are one of today’s hot new items. You can find a number of companies claiming that their online offer is the best out there. Often, people think this means they can apply online and start shopping within minutes. But this is not the way it works. Although you do find out fairly quickly if you have been approved, it can take a few minutes. And you cannot start using it immediately.

• It’s in the Mail

  Instant approval credit cards are not quite as instant as you think. While you can find out in a matter of minutes if you qualify they still have to actually mail the card to you. But knowing immediately is an advantage. If you apply by mail for a credit card you have to wait days or weeks to hear back and then you have to wait for the card. This makes these type of plastic cards nice. Being able to apply online also makes card comparison easy too.

• Not for Everyone

  Not everyone who applies is eligible for a credit card which offers instant approval. This type of card is not designed for those with credit problems. They are for people whose credit is good. But you might still be able to make this work for you if yours is less than perfect. Today there are so many financial companies out there vying for new clients they just might be willing to take a risk on you. So you may want to try for one of these plastic cards if your credit has only minor flaws. It can be worth trying for if you really need a credit card.

• Check Your Options

  Online applications for credit cards are easy to do and there are plenty of offers on the Internet you can check out. Do a search and thoroughly review several of them. Take your time and shop around for the best deal you can get. Don’t go with the first one you see. Comparison shopping will allow you to find the credit or debit card that finds your need best. Applying for a credit card which promises direct approval will let you know within minutes whether you qualify or not.

About the Author

If you want to know more about credit cards, try visiting reloadable credit cards to get more tips on how to take advantage of a free prepaid Mastercard.

Today, people have ways in controlling different risks and threats. This is often referred to risk management which include life and non life insurance policies. Because of the competition in between insurance providers today, they offer different sets of policies and they try to have one that has something that isn’t offered by others. Though they are strictly regulated by the government, each company will have their own rules to follow, including providers of medicare supplemental care plans.

Many people have heard about Medicare supplemental insurance but not everyone understands what it really is. These plans cover expenses that are not covered by regular policies and these plans are available to both US citizens and residents. There are standards imposed by the government that these providers are required to follow.

Standards include meeting qualifications like person’s age, locaiton and lifestyle. But there are some cases which are exempted, of course. Getting this plan is ideal for all especially those who are about to retire and will eventually get a lower income.

Who are qualified and what are the exemptions with Medicare Supplemental Insurance? Basically, a person in the United States who is enrolled in Medicare plan A and B is automatically qualified to avail of Medigap. Age requirement is 65 years old and above. If this requirement isn’t met, one must undergo a medical screening.

Once a qualified plan holder, one can now avail of the Medigap plan and enjoy great hospitalization benefits. Those who have this kind of plan are guaranteed that all their medical bills including bills in specialty hospitals are covered. To avail this plan, you just have to present your medicare supplemental insurance information to your doctor. He will then be recommended for all the necessary tests and treatments needed.

There are ten options that are available for you if you’re thinking of getting a Medigap plan. Make sure each insurer you consider presents you with all of these ten choices, each named with a letter from A through J. Plan A is the cheapest and the narrowest in coverage and B to J have similar costs or extensiveness of coverage but they have different specific coverages. Don’t buy more than one policy at because this is really unnecessary. If you think there’s another policy you would like to have, review that policy first and once you’re sure it meets all your needs, get it and cancel your old policy. And don’t forget to check if you qualify for a premium refund.

About the Author

It’s one thing to have your Medicare, but it’s another to be sure that whatever excesses in hospital expenses you beyond your coverage, you still will be covered by a Medicare supplement plan that is created specifically for this purpose. Get quotes of different Medicare supplement plans soon and start reviewing your options.

If you are chatting with a group of investors, you will probably hear the term ‘managed account’ a lot. It is an investment account type. This account is actually managed by a third party who can buy or sell without having to obtain permission of the holder. The holder may allow the third party to trade without any restrictions or put some trading limitations. It entirely depends on the holder himself.

Managed account may not be for everyone. Before having your own managed account you need to decide whether you are able to get what you are expecting if you manage things on your own or if you can get better return with such an account. If you feel you are not able to reach your target on your own or not doing a better job, then you may want to consider having such an account.

Managed accounts have advantages as well as disadvantages. Some advantages are:
- Personal investment goals: The portfolio that is managed by a third party is actually based on your own personalized goals instead of the typical income or growth strategy.
- See what you own: With this account type you can actually see what you own. Nothing is hidden from you.
- High performance: If you find a manager who is a top notch professional, he will work to give you favorable results and keep track of records. You will earn high profits.
- More affordable: The fee charged by the manager is fixed annual charge; unlike brokers who charge commissions.
- Convenient: You don’t have to do things on your own. A manager will manage and do everything on your behalf. All you have to do is to pay up the manager and sit back and relax.

Although there are many advantages and you may believe that Managed account is the best solution, it has its disadvantages as well. Some of them are:
- Finding the best manager: When finding the manager, you will come across all kinds of managers. There will be bad, mediocre or good. If you find a bad manager you will actually be losing a lot of your investment.
- It is cheaper to manage on your own: Even if managed accounts are cheaper than hiring services of brokers, it is always cheaper to manage everything on your own. No one can take care of your money the way you can.
- If you are DIY type then this is not the option for you: For people who like to get things done their way and have strategies, time as well as an expert in turning their investments into profit then this account accounts may not be the option for you. If you are capable enough to implement your strategies, then don’t hire a manager to manage your money.

Always remember investing your money and getting desirable returns is not an easy job. You need to follow the right strategies, have lots of experience and need to devote a lot of time if you are to get rich and be successful. If you believe you cannot handle your investments then managed accounts is for you.

About the Author

Johnny Smiths is an expert writer about Managed Forex and Managed Forex Accounts

Do builders really care about how green their work is while constructing your dream home? Critics and many environmentally-conscious people have been asking this question because many builders claim to rank and then try to make the sale by their energy rating. The government has also taken interest in these issues as there is intense pressure from non-profit organisations and environment protection organisations. In many countries, the government promotes the sale of carbon-free homes, which are energy efficient. It is also proposed that energy comparison should play a significant role in the delivering zero carbon homes.

For a home to be zero carbon it should meet the standards of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), whose objective is to protect the environment and save money through efficient methods and products. To meet the energy comparison standards of EPA a house should have efficient lighting, efficient cooling and heating systems, duct systems and tight construction, and windows with high-performance capability and properly insulated from climatic changes.

Apart from these, the builders also have to fulfil the standards for clean indoor environments. Builders also take care that the houses are pest resistant, fire resistant, cold resistant, termite proof and energy resistant. Additionally, the houses should also have proper ventilation. It has been seen that proper ventilation saves a good amount of energy, as compared to other appliances.

Besides the above mentioned benefits, the other advantages of energy efficient houses are that these houses carry high resale value. The main reason behind this is more awareness regarding environment friendly homes, and the durability of such constructions. Plus, such houses consume less energy in comparison to the typical houses or buildings. Energy efficient builders construct homes that can help you to save money on utility bills by providing the same luxurious environment and better indoor air quality.

The primary concern is the quality and type of construction material that need to be used from setting up to the time of completion. It also includes the life cycle assessment and embodied energy of raw materials. Other facts that need to be considered are: the amount of energy a house consumes in terms of heating, cooling and lighting that is necessary to make the occupants live comfortably. For instance, passive heating within the house can keep the interiors warm. It is usually done by extracting warm air and also the heat of sunlight.

Well-designed triple or double glazing windows: material with thermal mass that absorbs and slowly releases the heat helps in keeping a building environment friendly and comfortable to live in. The other designs that are usually seen in energy efficient buildings are the photovoltaic solar water heaters, photovoltaic cells to light up buildings at night and for circulating cool subterranean air, and subterranean tunnels.

To mitigate the ecological footprint of buildings, radiant bulbs and sensors that sense ambient light and automatically turn off artificial illumination are also considered. Energy-efficient builders have to be very careful while building houses so that they consume less energy in comparison to other traditional houses. They have to incorporate both cutting edge and typical technology for better results.

About the Author

To find more information on energy comparison services visit the Energy Choices website.

When you are able to control the mail flow in and out of your home, you’ve closed off an important avenue of potential identity theft. But, if you don’t include the inside of your home when considering the security of your financial data, you are missing an important component of all around data security. I’m no talking about your spouse, but the potential for a burglar or visitor to your home absconding with sensitive data. Fortunately, there are ways you can keep your personal and financial data secure.

1. Keep all of your financial and personally sensitive documents in a secure place

A locked filing cabinet or a metal strong box are best. Not only will this help deter thieves, it will keep all of your data in one place.

2. Make a photocopy of all the contents of your wallet

If you ever lose your wallet or have it stolen, having all of your information tucked away in your filing cabinet will save you a lot of aggravation.

3. Shredding

Of course your mailbox isn’t the only place you have to worry about in terms of theft of personal data from your home. It’s far more likely that someone will gain the information they are looking for via your trash. Purchase a crosscut shredder and use it for any mail that has your name, address, or account numbers on it. This includes checking, savings and credit card statements.

4. Freezing your credit information

The option of freezing your credit to keep information from thieves is available to anyone that wants to do this. It’s a pretty simple concept – you can lock up your credit information so that anyone who is looking for your credit information has to ask you to unlock your file. This virtually eliminates the potential of a credit account being opened in your name because very few creditors will open an account without a credit report.

About the Author

Bruce Guzman has been assisting individuals with personal finance concerns for many decades. He started writing about them online in 2008. Bruce also operates a number of helpful internet sites. You can find out about his latest website here: Used Shipping Containers featuring Steel Storage Containers

The hedge fund industry has been booming since the early 1990s. It is estimated that 6,000 are now managing well over 500 billion $US, up from a mere $15 billion in 1990.

Many perceive this industry as a fairly new phenomenon, but its roots are found in the 1940s. It is said that Alfred Winslow Jones was the first manager to combine a leveraged long stock position with a portfolio of short stock positions in an investment fund. Using a private limited partnership structure to suit his investment strategy, Jones was paid on an incentive fee basis. Investors in Jones’ relatively unknown fund enjoyed great returns by outperforming all mutual funds of that era.

The prospect of better returns increased the popularity of hedge funds in the 60s; and with the greater popularity, fund managers changed their approach. The nature of hedge fund management was shifting and managers were taking more risk by leveraging instead of hedging their positions. When markets took a turn for the worst, these riskier strategies did not pay off, and funds hit a difficult period from the mid 60s to the end of the 70s.

By 1980 and throughout the 1990s, with the arrival of derivatives, new styles of management were developed and funds became a more heterogeneous group.

The fund industry started to offer a greater array of products, using more sophisticated strategies. This was the start of a growth industry. funds became the magic word. Everybody wanted to be part of the action…both managers and investors.

From 1994 to 1999, hedge funds were on a roll and the great bull market was pushing returns to record highs. Many traditional money managers were becoming fund managers. It seems that hedge funds could do no wrong.

Then reality struck when the Tech Bubble burst in 2000. The subsequent market meltdown separated the true fund managers from the improvised managers.

The industry had too many players and it was time of a cleansing. Many important groups such as George Soros’ Quantum Funds or Julian Robertson’s Tiger Fund had to fold. The nature of a good hedge fund is to perform well in ALL market conditions. Many funds were too directional and it was their downfall.

Today, investors have access to a healthier fund industry. Good hedge funds are a bit easier to pick.

Generating absolute returns through shifting market conditions is the business of funds. With continued market volatility, the spread between good quality funds and poor performers is still widening, making it easier for investors to recognize true funds from directional managers.

Over the last 10 years, the investment industry has changed tremendously. New financial tools are brought forward to better navigate the new complexities of the market. Investors are more sophisticated and demand the same from their managers. In this new financial climate, fund managers are evolving and becoming more knowledgeable, using more complex tools, and improving their strategies to outperform the competition. Capturing the extra returns, lowering volatility, and being able to swiftly change direction on good, precise information, are the hallmarks of the expert money manager and no one is more equipped to do this than the hedge fund manager.

About the Author

Charles Brown was a Research Analyst at Bear Stearns in New York and currently a Research Analyst for Zering Wealth, Malaysia where his responsibilities include research coverage for the Technology Sector specialising in the Hardware Industry. Charles Brown graduated from the University of Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance and Economics and a MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School Of Business.

Why Dollar Cost Averaging Can Be Your Best Friend

By Larry Lane for http://www.InvestorZoo.com

In the investment world, there are many types of risk. Volatility will cause your investments to rise and fall in value. How you manage volatility and risk will determine whether you will be an investment winner or loser.

Before investing in a stock, mutual fund or ETF, there are several factors to consider. How would you react if your investment went down 25% in 6 months? What about if you suffered a 50% loss? Not a pleasant thought, but these are the unfortunate realities of investing.

There is no free lunch and no perfect investment strategy. Investors in Long Term Capital Management will attest to this. LTC was initially successful with annualized returns of over 40% (after fees) in its first couple of years of operation. However in 1998, LTC lost $4.6 billion in less than four months when Russia defaulted on its loans. Long Term Capital consisted of John Meriweather, the former vice-chairman and head of bond trading at Salomon Brothers. Board of director members included Myron Scholes and Robert C. Merton, who shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in Economics. The most brilliant economic minds failed because they didn’t properly plan for the risk that the market presents. Yes, even a country defaulting on its sovereign debt can occur.

Historically, the stock market has experienced a drop of 10% every year and half. On average, you will see a 20% loss every 2.5 years and a 30% drubbing every four years according to InvesTech Research. Would you like more good news? In 2002, T. Rowe Price a mutual fund company completed a rather surprising study:

1) There is a 27% chance you will lose money if you have one year to invest
2) There is a 14% chance you will lose money if you have 3 years to invest
3)There is a 10% chance you will lose money if you have 5 years to invest
4) There is a 4% chance you will lose money if you have 10 years to invest

In short, the stock market can be a scary place to invest.

Ask yourself “what would happen if this part of my portfolio went to 0?” Are you overly allocated in one sector or stock? Have you been at the same company, investing money for the last 20 years in your company’s stock? Does this now make up 20-50% or more of your portfolio? The employees of Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers and others who are improperly allocated will feel the sting of this recession/depression for years and possibly decades to come. The prospect of coming back from a 50% loss will mean your investment must double just to break even.

For most investors who are not pouring over charts, reading over 10k reports and glued to their television 24 hours a day watching CNBC for breaking earnings reports, diversification is paramount.

No investment is 100% risk free. The economy, interest rates, wars, terrorism and a myriad of other factors will affect your investments. The key to successful investing is staying invested long term and being properly allocated. Invest all your money in internet stocks and you would have seen a huge drawdown in your portfolio in 2000. Stay “conservative” in bonds and you’ll lose significantly when interest rates go up. Want to invest in commodities? Oil went from $147 to $40 in a heartbeat in 2008. If you had too much money invested in oil, you may have done something very foolish along the way like sell at the absolute low and the absolute worst time.If you had just 5% invested in oil or better yet a basket of commodities (this can be purchased via an ETF or mutual fund), you probably slept pretty well.

A good financial advisor will not recommend a stock or investment to a client because he got a hot tip or because it “feels right”. A financial advisor will probably not find you the next Google, but will construct a complete portfolio consisting of assets from many investment classes.

For every successful full time day trader, there are dozens or 100s that have blown their account up and now have nothing. There are simply too many variables to consider. There is slippage (the spread between the bid and ask price), commissions and oh yes, you have to be correct more than 50% of the time using correct money management skills. Invest long term and properly diversify your portfolio and you can be wrong, dead wrong a lot. In fact by dollar cost averaging you can wrong for years and come out ahead when the market finally recovers.

For the example, assume you put in $100 per month into Fund X:
Month Amount Invested Share Price Number Purchased
1 $100 $50 2
2 100 75 1.33
3 100 100 1
4 100 66.66 1.5
5 100 40 2.5
6 100 25 4
7 100 33.33 3
8 100 66.66 1.5
9 100 80 1.25
10 100 80 1.25

Total $1,000 19.41 Shares
Dollar cost Average/Monthly Investing=How much the shares cost divided by how many shares purchased=$1,000/19.41= $51.52. Despite the fact that fund X was extremely volatile, you did pretty well.

Your true cost is $51.52 and the fund is now trading at $80! You’ve purchased more shares when they are on sale and less when they are higher. This is a good acumen of any good investor. You didn’t even have to stay up late at night worrying that some financial analyst just downgraded your stock or sector.

While this is a hypothetical dollar cost scenario,hopefully the illustration above exemplifies the importance of dollar cost averaging and investing long term. If you don’t have a lump sum to invest, dollar cost averaging makes investment sense for most investors.

Invest as if you have to go before a judge and defend your investment. Get the help of an experienced financial planner to help you though the rough patches when the market is experiencing a correction. Be consistent with your investment decisions and have a solid investment plan.

Larry Lane is the editor for InvestorZoo.com, a personal finance site specializing in personal finance. Email questions and comments to Larry.Lane@InvestorZoo.com

The article above is intended to provide information of a general nature and may not be suitable for your individual situation. Please consult a qualified licensed financial advisor before making any financial decision.

About the Author

Larry Lane is the head blogger and biz dev for InvestorZoo
a social networking site dedicated to personal finance.
Are you a financial professional looking to help people with money issues and gain world wide exposure? Please drop me an email at larry.lane@InvestorZoo.com or call me directly at 425-591-9315.

Have you found yourself in a bad money situation- technically, you are out of money? Payday is too far away, and you are not sure how you are going to make it? The answer may be simple- payday loans. But many people wonder should they take out this type of loan? The best answer is this- do your research before you choose a payday loan. Knowing the pros and cons of these loans can help you make an informed decision about your finances.

Payday loans can be very helpful when you need money fast. Unlike a traditional loan from a bank, a payday loan will usually not check your credit score. Even if the company does look into your credit history, a low score will not necessarily keep you from getting a loan. You may simply be charged a bit of a higher finance fee when you apply for cash. So for people who have had a bad credit history, including a repossession or bankruptcy filing, a payday loan may be the only loan they are eligible for.

You can use payday loans when you absolutely must have cash, and you can’t wait until you get paid again to get it. For example, say you have a credit card statement that is about to be overdue. You have good credit now, but you know that by being late, your credit score can and probably will be affected. Instead of letting that happen, take out a payday loan to pay the bill. You can apply this same thinking to a mortgage or rent payment, your vehicle note or even your utility bills. Save your credit by applying for payday loans. An added bonus is that the fee for the payday loan is often less than the late fees on your bills!

Just remember, a “>payday loan company makes their money by charging their borrower’s finance fees on the cash that they give out. This fee may be as low as ten dollars, or it could be up to thirty. This is charged for every hundred that is borrowed, for a typical loan company. These charges can easily add up, especially when you borrow higher amounts of money. Just plan ahead and be sure that you can pay them before you apply for that loan. As long as you can, then a payday loan may be just the thing you need to solve your money crisis.

About the Author

Roo Sadegi is a travel writer based in London’s East End, although he spends much of his time travelling around Europe’s travel hotspots.

Its the holidays and everybody is ready to go out and start shopping for the important people in their lives. But what do you do if your wallet is a little empty right now? How can you purchase gifts for everyone without going into debt? Of course you can go out and pick up a seasonal job but who really wants to do that? There are other things you can do that don’t require you to have to leave your house.

In this situation, the internet is truly your best friend. There are literally thousands of money making opportunities available online right now. The internet never sleeps. There is always something that needs to be done. Simple tasks such as posting articles to article directories or bookmarking certain pages can put money in your pocket very quickly.

You visit any freelance site and you will be blown away by all the work that is currently available. Most of the work is for online business owners who are too lazy to do it themselves. Though that might seem like a bad thing, it is actually a good thing. If they are too lazy to do it themselves, that means that have to find someone to do it for them. That means more opportunities for you to make some quick cash for the holidays.

The opportunities that I am telling you about are responsible for making me $648 in just 48 hours. That’s right, I had over $600 worth of orders in just 2 days from this type of work. I’m sure you can do a lot with an extra $600 this holiday season right? Trust me, doing work for online business owners is where its at. If you know how and where to find this type of work, there is no limit to the amount of extra money you can bring in.

About the Author

Making money fast online is not hard to do once you have the proper information. To learn more about how you can put cash in your pocket fast check out 4 fast cash strategies NOW!

A question generally arises as to why you should be teaching kids about money when they are young. Ever spotted your kid leaving that costly computer game you bought for him lying on his bedroom floor, just waiting to get trampled on? You can see it now… when it does break, he comes running to you crying that he absolutely must have another one straight away as it was his favourite thing. Has this already happened in your household?

Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane to the first time he even asked you for the computer game. You are in the toy store and he’s salivating over the most recent Mario game and is telling you how he’ll just die if he doesn’t get it. Because of his constant whining, you seriously consider just buying it for him as it’s quite a long time until his birthday or even for Christmas to come around. Although it’s expensive, the price of the computer game certainly seems less than the price you’ll pay for your son constantly asking for it every time you walk past the toy store!

But wait, there’s another choice to consider. Now would be a perfect time to start teaching your kids about money. How can you do this? First, tell your son the price of the computer game and then tell him that if he wants it, he must save his own cash for it. This will certainly teach him the value of a dollar!

Sure, he’ll complain it may take him a long time to save for it himself, but that’s the whole point. We all have to save. Adults have to save for holidays, new cars and whatever other toys we want. Kids can’t expect that whatever they want, they can instantly have. Now is the perfect time to speak to your child about earning their own money and saving a portion of it (even if it’s only 10%).

As parents, a perfect way to teach your kids about money is to create a spreadsheet on your computer which resembles a cheque book register. Show them how to make deposits into their account (just use an envelope clearly labelled with their name and goal on the front) and write the amount onto the spreadsheet.
When your son is close to achieving his goal, be prepared for him to ask that one question: “Can you please loan me the rest of the money?” Be strong as I’ve found that giving in and paying for the remainder of the item is not that successful.
Generally, it is a better lesson for your kids to have them reach their goal on their own as the reward is much sweeter. Having said that, if your child is saving for something that is very expensive (for example a Playstation or XBox console), you may wish to consider offering to buy something that goes towards it (such as a computer game or controls that goes with the Playstation or Xbox). This will keep your child motivated and may make the goal more achievable.

Once all the money is saved, it will be a very special moment when they walk into the store with their cash in their hands and physically buy the item themselves. I bet you back at home you won’t see that computer game abandoned on the floor! He had to wait and try hard to earn enough money to make his purchase. He is proud of himself for achieving his goal. He will value the toy more and look after it. Now if you could just make him look after the remainder of his things…

About the Author

Nicole Clemow has been involved in finance since 1999 and is one of the authors of
“Teach Your Kids the Value of Money.” Check out “Teaching kids about money” for more strategies and tips on this subject.